Where Do I Start?
First, talk to Jesus. Ask Him to lead, you follow. He is the one you are here for. He is the one who knows how to lead you on what we call the Emmaus Emmanuel Excursion into the Kingdom: Emmaus — the path and the way where Jesus meets two of the very first humans to see Him, the resurrected King. Emmanuel — Jesus is always with us. Like the two on the Emmaus road, it can be a while before we see His presence, but His Kingdom is among us now! (Luke 24:13-35) Excursion — this is an adventure of following Jesus, not a course, a class, a program, or a way to get smarter to do better. It is a journey as a student of Jesus alongside His friends.
Next is another big step. Be a student of yourself. What are you looking for? What do you hope to receive — or more importantly, who do you want to become? Is it Christlikeness, and if so, what does that look like, and how may we help you become more like the person Jesus describes?
We think this is the driving question: How do I become a good person living a good life in what is most real?
At Jesus College we have a tool that helps you find the answers to the biggest questions in life. It is a compass we call "The 4M IQ" - the Four Most Important Questions in life - inspired by the insightful teaching of Dallas Willard.
These questions are articulated, sought, and answered numerous times throughout our 24 courses as main emphasis for Dallas Willard (d. 2013), highly regarded philosopher, author, speaker, and the man we like to call our senior apprentice. They serve to define your worldview, as Dallas states, "you can not opt out of having a worldview." One of our courses, "Jesus Worldview", takes this head on.
As you can see, this is more than trying on a new pair of shoes before you walk through a catalog of courses. This is the beginning of a new discovery of where you are on the path of life and what our Lord and Teacher will show you through His kind wisdom to best bring about who you were created to be. The framework for His response is what we call "The Four Woods of the Kingdom" — the Yoke, Cross, Branch, and Throne. Each one is an invitation from Jesus to be with Jesus to become like Jesus. This is so important to us that we wrote and produced eight songs through our "Seven Mile Road Productions" to guide you along the path in these four dimensions of life with Christ. Here is an excerpt from one of our songs, "The Way Home":
Yoke — where weary souls come home to rest.
Cross — where we come back home and start again.
Branch — where we remain at home with You.
Throne — where we go home to where we belong.
Where do you sense Jesus is calling you, "Come and rest…surrender…remain…reign"? In which, or all, of "The Four Woods"? How may we enhance your Emmaus "burning heart" reality?
"The Four Woods" reveal where Jesus wants to meet you. The next question - how intentionally do you want to walk with Him from here?
Consider the words of Dallas Willard: Vision — Intention — Means. (See Session 5 of the "Renovation of the Heart" course, based on the book by Dallas.)
Okay, we know, that was a lot. But, you made it this far so we can tell you know this is eternally serious stuff and it starts now, today, right here on the path underneath you.
Here are a three ways you can jump in.
1. One Course Trial
Check out a shorter course to experience what we do and get a view of how the living water flows around here. A few ideas:
2. Topic Focused
Such as prayer, the Sermon on the Mount, or how we change. Peruse the 24 courses, find one that catches your eye, heart, and mind, and dive in.
3. A Spiritual Training Plan
This is if you are ready to make a commitment to your spiritual growth with a strong plan, an encouraging community, and wise and relevant resources as the means for your pursuit of Christlikeness. You can take any and all the courses you want in the order you want. If you are really serious about growing as a student of the Master Teacher, we invite you to explore our Master's in the Master spiritual training — a free, intentional plan through our suggested 15 of the 24-course library to bring Bible and theology to real life in His Kingdom now. We recommend these as your first four courses:
1st — "Spiritual Formation and Salvation" — 1 video of Dallas at Wheaton College (3 sessions)
2nd — "The Divine Conspiracy: An Overview" — highlighting key principles (6 sessions) based on Dallas’ book
3rd — "For Such a Time as This" — 3 teachings on Kingdom life and leadership (6 sessions) from a video series by Dallas
4th — The Divine Conspiracy — in-depth, extended study of the book (31 sessions) — the 3D: Deep Dallas Dive into his foundational work that will forever redefine your life as an apprentice in the Kingdom among us
If these are deeper than you are ready for, consider what is the favorite book by so many people including Dallas’ wife Jane: Renovation of the Heart. You will find a beautiful picture of what a changed life looks like. With that vision at work in your life, you can then return to the first four courses we advised to build a strong Kingdom foundation to your knowledge and experience of the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
The good news: you will not get lost with any of our 24 courses on the Emmaus Road you travel with Jesus, guided by His senior apprentices, and accompanied by friends and new global friends — trusting you will encounter what Dallas called the "Jesus Heartburn" as the living Logos reveals Himself to you.
If you are ready, enroll here. If you still have questions, info@JesusCollege.com. We are not selling or pushing. We are tagging along after Jesus and inviting more travelers to join us when they are ready.